Internet @ Schools

May/Jun 2013: Features

Shmoop's founder and chief creative officer has some creative things to say about how the textbook industry is transforming and where the etext industry is headed. Take a look down the digital road with him.

In 2010, digital textbooks accounted for just 1% of the U.S. textbook market. In 2012, it was 5.5 percent. And it's climbing. Victor offers a company-by-company look providing you with some idea of what lies ahead.

May/Jun 2013: Product Reviews

Britannica School was developed to replace textbooks with digital alternatives that address each state's core standards and engage student curiosity to enhance learning. An easy-to-use system helps teachers transition to digital resources and use them, while lowering district costs.

Discovery Education Techbooks are a complete text solution that addresses each state's Core Standards (currently available in 36 states), with a simple-to-use system that helps teachers transition to digital resources while substantially lowering district costs. This primary instructional resource provides dynamic, interactive resources that support the 5E model of instruction (engage, explore, explain, extend, and evaluate) with a variety of digital resources.

Citation questions are more challenging as information formats increase, evolve, and become entwined. Mary Alice takes a very thorough look this time at NoodleTools ("more than a citation tool"), a product that has been in use since 1999 and that continues to advance.

Mary Ann has been hearing more and more about badging and online learning in the last year or two, prompting her to delve deeper into the subject, to try it in her own teaching … and to write all about it in this column!

More and more ebook vendors are entering the market, yet there are still many particular needs schools have that are simply not being met, according to Carolyn. Read her dissection of the current state of ebook affairs … and what's needed to improve it.